Natural Born Leader
by Bekah-chan
Summary: Elves, Dragons, and Magic in Tokyo. Someone is trying to kill Davis; Can he and his Digidestined friends, find out who before it is too late? Very AU Still has the digimon and stuff, but with lots more added on :) **New Part VI**
1. Part I

Natural Born Leader

A Digimon Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rating: PG-13

  
  


Summary: Elves, Dragons, and Magic in Tokyo. Someone is trying to kill Davis; Can he and his Digidestined friends, find out who before it is too late? Very AU Still has the digimon and stuff, but with lots more added on :)

  
  


Note on Rating: This fic has become a little more violent than I had originally intended. So, I decided to up the rating, just to be safe.

  
  


Disclaimer: (Okay, here I go) *sniffle* I DO NOT *cringe* OWN *wince* DIGIMON *sniffle* (I did it!!!) I do, however, own (or came up with) most of the stuff that doesn't have to do with Digimon. So, HANDS OFF!!!! Thank you ^_^

  
  


Author's Notes: This fic is entirely from Davis' Point-Of-View. I'm mentioning this because it is a first person narrative, and it might be confusing if you don't know whose POV is driving. Although, it should also be noted that this is not exactly the Davis from the show. Beware major Out-Of-Character-ness. One more point: This fic is soooooo *not* cannon. Except for a few flashbacks, it's safe to say that the show happened up to the episode where Cody got his second Digi-egg. After that this fanfiction deviates sharply from the show's main plot-line. Hey! Don't blame me! *points finger accusingly at muse* It was all her fault!! ^_^

  
  


Part I:

The attempts on my life started a few weeks before Ken decided to give up his evil Emperor ways and become one of the 'good guys'. It was just small things at first, things that I did not connect until later. Like when I almost got run over by a car in rush-hour traffic. That could have happened to anyone, right? And since, with my faster-than-average reflexes, I was able to get out of the way quickly, I didn't give it much thought. Except to consider it lucky that the car had almost hit me (who *could* get out of the way in time) rather than a normal human, who would have been killed.

The next day I was almost strangled by a jump-rope...... And no, I'm not kidding. On my way home from school (and Digidestined activities) I passed a little girl skipping rope on the sidewalk. As I widened my path to go around her, the rope *leapt* out of her hands, and wrapped itself around my throat. Again, if I had been human I would have been killed. But I am *much* stronger than I look, so I was able to, easily enough, pull the jump-rope from around my neck, despite the supernatural force that was trying to keep it there.

I gotta admit that, by this time, I was a little suspicious. But I quickly talked myself out of the: someone-is-plotting-to-take-my-life, frame of mind. That kind of thing isn't healthy, you know. Besides it's not uncommon for things of this nature to happen to me. Like that time last summer, when a clothes-line took annoyance at my presence and.... um, never mind. The point is that I dismissed this incident also, and, after giving the girl back her jump-rope (once I made sure that it wouldn't harm her) I went on my way.

On the third day, at about the same time that the previous 'accidents' had occurred, something happened that caused me to question the piling evidence. I was leaning lightly out of an open window in the living room of Kari's apartment, when something pushed me from behind. And yes, I say 'something' because no one but myself and my digimon were in the apartment at the time, and I know that Demiveemon would never do such a thing. This is where I observe that things become clearer when one is plummeting from six stories up, toward the unforgiving ground below.

I did not panic, I can't remember the last time I felt such a naive emotion, but I was forced to resort to magic to save myself. This made me angry, as there are many reasons that I do not like using magic in public. That a mortal might see, one of those reasons, was, luckily, moot. No one was watching when I used a levitation spell to slow my decent.

After I was safely on the ground again, I just stood there and thought for awhile. The situation was becoming serious. This time, not only would a human have died, but one of my kind (with the exception of myself, and possibly my sister) would also have perished. No one but a Fey of the royal line would have been able to cast a spell that quickly. And, even I, might not have been able to do it 20 years ago. I sighed and accepted the fact that some-one, or -thing, had malicious intent upon my person. Something was rotten in Odiaba.

  
  


*****

On further thought, conducted while I was walking, shoeless, back into the apartment building, I concluded that whoever was trying to kill me didn't know what I was. Each time I had survived, so far, it was because the attacks had been aimed at a human, not an elf. So, I could rule out one of my own kind trying to kill me over their political affiliation. Jun, my sister, and I kept a pretty low profile. Which I believe, also ruled out someone trying to off me for a mundane reason. The only other thing I was involved in, that wasn't 'normal', was the business in the Digital World.

As I stepped into the elevator, pushing the button for the sixth floor, I tried to think of who, in the Digital World, would want to kill me. I briefly considered Ken as the culprit, but quickly discarded the idea. For one thing, Ken thought that the Digital World was all a game. It would not occur to him to come after one of us in the real world. Besides, I had long suspected that there was more to the 'Evil Digimon Emperor' thing than met the eye. One of the side effects of being what I am is the ability to see into people. Oh, not read their thoughts or anything like that, just perceiving if they leaned more toward good, or evil. Sensing what kind of person they are.

The first time I was in range of the Digimon Emperor, what I saw shocked me. How could someone do the things he does, and still have a heart that was so kind? It baffled me until I came up with a feasible scenario. Something had influenced Ken from an early age, slowly changing his emotions and outlook, until everything he saw and felt was tinged with darkness. I sometimes wondered how young he had been. Hadn't anyone noticed what was going on? Had there been no one that could see the darkness he was sinking into, and pull him out of it? It seemed not.

The elevator arrived at the floor I had requested, and I stepped into the hall, walking back toward the Kamiya's apartment. Feeling the carpet beneath my socks as I traveled, I tried to remember the first time that I had decided it was my job to save Ken. All of the Digidestined, older and younger, had somehow fallen under my protection. I did not notice it at first, but it happened all the same. They were just children, trying to fix something that was so much bigger than they are. They were often brave, and sometimes scared, but always willing to do what was needed. They were going to save the world. I respected them for this, and had taken it upon myself to see that they didn't get themselves injured while doing it. It was a full-time job.

Ken, on the other hand, was *not* trying to save the world. Far from it. But I had seen into his heart and knew that he wasn't who he seemed to be. He was also a Digidestined, and as such fit in to my little family. Both reasons compelled me to rescue Ken, from himself, and from whatever was trying to control him. I was determined that *all* the Digidestined would come out of this alive, even if I didn't.

Today I had come to talk to Tai about Ken. Being the original leader of the Digidestined, I hoped he could help me find a way to help Ken. If, that is, I could convince him that Ken was worth saving. This would not be easy, but I felt that, with my unique perspective into Tai's personality, I could bring him around.

  
  


*****

Tai Kamiya was the first Digidestined that came into my acquaintance, even though neither of us knew, then, what a 'Digidestined' was. About 10 years ago, I was walking along an autumn colored pathway that wound through a favorite park of mine. As I strolled around a bend in the way, an occupied bench appeared from behind a dense group of bushes. Drawing closer I saw the figure of a little boy, 4 or 5 years old, huddled there, sobbing. It is, and always has been, beyond me to pass by a child in such obvious distress. So I decided to see if I could help.

At the time I had been posing as a rebellious teen of about 15-16 years. (The 'rebellious' bit helped me seem a little older) I didn't want to scare the kid so I set about making myself seem less, well..... rebellious. First I adjusted my glamor, the spell I used to appear human. My hair shortened to a more acceptable length; My nose-ring and tattoo melted away; And the ragged jeans and T-shirt faded to the khaki pants and turtle-neck that I was actually wearing. I kept only the parts of the glamor that made my features; my eyes, ears, etc., appear human.

Next I took off the things that had not been an illusion. The earrings, both in my right ear, were one of the only things that my sister and I had left of our mother. These I carefully removed before gently placing them in a pocket. The Elven-made silver chevron bracelet, from my left wrist, went the way of the earrings, and the three rings, on varying hands, followed the rest. One of the rings, one to which an illusion spell would never stick, had my family crest on it. I had enjoyed wearing it openly, as part of this disguise, I did not get to wear it as often as I'd like. I debated leaving it on, it didn't carry my 'rebellious' facade all by itself, but it *was* kind of odd, and my goal here was to appear normal. So off it went. The only accessory that I kept on was the goggles that I wore while ridding my motorbike, they were keeping the hair out of my eyes, like a headband.

When I was ready, I slowly approached the bench and sat, casually, on the end opposite from where the kid was perched. It took him awhile to notice me. But once he had calmed down a little, I asked him his name. He didn't answer me, just gave me a measuring glance. A surprising action in one so young. Finally I offered my name (David at the time) and waited for a response. The kid, after thinking it through, decided to trust me (at least a little), and told me his name was Tai.

Tai was a cautious little kid, even then, it took me quite a bit of patience to get him to open up. When, at long last, he confided his problem to me, I found it very easy to relate. It seemed that Tai would soon have a little sister. His parents had informed him just that morning, and he was upset. Obvious was the fear that he was afraid his parents wouldn't love him anymore, or pay attention to him, now that a new baby was coming. I'd felt much the same way before Jun was born.

Of course, in my case, it had been almost one hundred years before, but some things were universal. So while we sat in the park, absently watching morning turn into afternoon, I told him about my sister. I explained to him that, after my sister was born, my parents did not love me any less. We had all loved each other as a family, and Jun had fit right in, without excluding me. Then I disclosed to him the most important part of being a Big Brother: To protect your sister from harm, no matter what. Little girls needed to be cared for and loved, I reasoned, and they all had the innate capacity to get into a *lot* of trouble. They needed someone to watch out for them, to keep them safe and happy. I asked Tai if he thought he could take on the job.

Tai was silent, seeming to weigh himself, to see if he was up to the gargantuan task that fate had laid before him. I had never in my life seen such a canny little kid. And, when he nodded firmly, saying that yes, he would be a good Big Brother, I knew that his sister would be a lucky little girl, to have such a protector.

I really don't know why, but I gave Tai my goggles. To help him remember to be a good brother, I said as I handed them over. Tai tried to put them on like I had been wearing them. But they were too big, and fell to hang around his neck, like a necklace. Ah, well, he would grow into them. Someday.

Soon Tai's mother, who had been looking for him since he ran away from a family picnic, found him. She gave me a measuring glance, almost identical to her son's earlier look. Now I knew where Tai got it from. I put what I hoped was a trustworthy expression on my face, and she thanked me, guardedly, for keeping her son in one place until she found him. Then she took Tai's hand and walked away. Tai gave me a smile and a wave with the hand that wasn't being held securely in his mother's. It would be almost 8 years before I saw the Kamiya family again.

After they were gone I took out my ring and, putting it back on, looked at it thoughtfully. Set in ancient silver was a fire-opal of a unique red/orange color that resembled living flame. Etched on the surface of the stone was my family crest. I had been told that the symbol meant 'flame' in some long forgotten tongue. This had represented my family for generations uncounted.

I guess you could say that this ring was my goggles. It reminded me of my family, and my sister. Jun *definitely* needed someone to watch out for her. My sister had a duplicate ring, although the stone was smaller. The rings, originally a set of six, had been a gift to my ancestors from a very powerful magician. They provided a limited amount of magical protection, but that wasn't the best feature. Any family member, wearing one of the rings, could, with concentration, instantly transport to the location of another family member also wearing a ring. Transport spells normally took a lot of time to set up, and used a lot of power. The rings' ability to transport without using the wearer's power made them a valuable commodity. There were only two rings left. Jun and I had used them on occasion, but once used, the rings had to re-charge for a few weeks before they could be used again. Making them ideal for an emergency but impractical for everyday travel.

I stood and reassembled my disguise as I walked back to my bike. I had a sudden need to see what trouble Jun had gotten herself into today.

  
  


*****

My mind is...... odd. As a defense mechanism, I have managed to bury some of my intelligence and most of my personality deep within the recesses of my mind. Utilizing only the surface thoughts of my brain has had some interesting effects, allowing me to seem slightly goofy and more than a little dumb. This has only better enabled me to keep up the facade of the 11 year old *human* Davis Matomyia that I show to the world. If I didn't think too deeply, I could just go with the flow, which can be a lot of fun. The human world really is amazing. Sometimes, I enjoyed it so much that I could forget, for a little while, that I was not the human boy I pretended to be. I could forget the Fey Kingdom; Forget my title and obligations to the same; Forget that, even now, elves were searching for my sister and I; And forget that my parents had been killed by their own subjects, for making decisions that could only have been a benefit to our homeland.

I could forget, but not for long. Ever present is the fear that we will be discovered by the humans, or by our own kind. My sister and I have been in hiding for a long time, it can change you. Jun and I barely talk anymore, this had not always been the case. Back when we were younger, before it had become necessary for us to hide, we had been friends. Or, as much friends as one could be with a sibling. In one night assassins had destroyed our lives, killing our parents and toppling our entire support structure. All we had left was each other, and the final words our father had spoken. As he lay dying, he told us to escape; To live; To survive and grow stronger; To come back one day.... and save them. My father lay near death, and my mother had left this world moments before, so I knew that my father did not mean for us to save the already lost King and Queen. But to return one day and save the country that they had served so faithfully, and ruled so fairly: the Elven Nation, Kingdom of the Fey.

The Kingdom of the Fey, my legacy and birthright. I did not want it, I did not want to rule, or live in, the country that had killed my family. Jun and I never spoke of it, so I didn't know her feelings on the matter. But as far as I was concerned, the Fey could fend for themselves.

  
  


*****

When I got back to the Kamiya's apartment I leaned on the wall beside it, sliding down to sit on the carpet. I didn't even bother to try the door, I knew it was locked. I had secured it myself, at the request of Mrs. Kamiya, who had been leaving when I arrived. She had known I was coming over today, to talk to Tai, so she allowed me to wait for her son inside, even though I was a few hours early. I wished I was still there. I supposed it is normal for one to wish one had *not* been chucked out of a sixth story window.

I hugged my knees to my chest and laid my forehead on them, sighing. Now I had to wait for Tai to get back from soccer practice. Mrs. Kamiya was gone (shopping I think), Mr. Kamiya worked late on Saturday, and Kari was in the Digital World with the rest of the crew (I idly wondered if they had noticed yet, that I wasn't there). So I would have to wait for Tai.

There were, of course, other options, but none of them were plausible. For instance, I could break down the door. This would be easy enough to accomplish, but it would leave the Kamiya's with a broken door. Or, I could blast the door with a spell, also with the same consequence. And, finally, I couldn't just leave, my Digimon, and my backpack (containing my money *and* my digivice) were inside, along with my shoes. I was stuck.

Eventually, Demiveemon woke up, he had been sleeping on the couch, and noticed the lack of my presence, *inside* the apartment. I had to assure him that I was alright (No!! I did not need him to digivolve and Fire-Rocket the door!!) and explain to him why I was on the wrong side of the door. Demiveemon did not understand, but then, he always has found the behavior of humans strange. He just chalked it up to the continued oddness of the human (or Elven, a difference which I had, unsuccessfully, tried to explain to him) race, and went back to sleep. This time he slept near the door, and I could hear him snoring through it.

I smiled a little. Demiveemon was such a good friend. I'd managed, some time ago, to get the point across that I *wasn't* human, but Demiveemon didn't care. To him, I was just 'Davis', a friend and partner. I was very grateful for his existence in my life.

  
  


*****

There is another reason, besides the risk that a mortal might see, that I disliked doing magic in public. Especially when I hadn't even had time to shield properly. You see, there are *Things* out there, unpleasant things, that can sense magic and are able to hunt down the source. Like blood for a shark, unshielded magic would lead these things right to their prey: Which would be any magic-using creature who didn't have the sense, or time, to shield, and/or run very far away, very quickly, once said magic had been used.

I had run from such situations myself, and felt no shame in it. On the few occasions when this had happened before, it was only myself in danger. This was not the case here. This building must have at least a hundred residents; and who knew how many were presently home. Which brought me to the other reason that I could not leave. I had to stay here and protect these people from whatever might have sensed my magic. There *was* a slim chance that nothing had noticed, but I didn't think it likely. When I cast that levitation spell I hadn't had time to build a complex spell-structure. Basically, I had just imagined a 3-D model of the finished spell and dumped power into it to make it work. A lot of that power had spilled over, and at this point I would consider it lucky if only *one* something had sensed it. I hoped that I would be able to destroy, this whatever it was, before it destroyed me, or someone else. I also, really, really, hoped that it wasn't a dragon. *shudder* Nasty things, dragons. I did not want to meet one again.

  
  


*****

My little sister is taller than I. I was 10 when Jun was born, and 25 when she outdistanced me in height. I had been blissfully unaware of my short stature until one day I discovered that I was looking *up* at my younger sibling. So, Jun was taller than me. And, with time, she grew to look older as well. In combination, these facts made people see me as the younger brother. Often asked, was the question of why I was heir rather than Jun, whom many viewed as the first born. I spent most of the next decade greatly vexed at Jun. But in time I got over it and now we tease each other about the height variance. As for the age thing, most elves appear quite young. It was a good thing, later, that one of us looked old enough to pass as an eighteen year old human.

When we went into hiding it naturally fell to Jun to play the elder part in our little charade. Sometimes she would be older than 18 and have custody of me, her 'younger' brother. Sometimes we would spend some time in an orphanage. And twice we had been adopted. The one constant was that Jun was always the 'eldest'. (At times it went to her head, and she would be hard to live with for a few years)

We stayed in one place until people noticed that we did not age, then moved on. But it was always somewhere in Japan. Because of what we are, our life forces' were tied to the land, and we could not leave this island. Strangely, this rule did not seem to apply to the Digital World, I could go there and move around freely. I did not, however, want to see what would happen if I were to come through the digi-port on another continent. I knew that the duration of my life, if I dared to set foot anywhere on this earth besides Japan, would be short and most definitely painful.

My sister and I did not mind this restriction much, it went both ways. We would no more leave the land, than the land would let us leave. At times we were not happy with the actions of the people who lived upon it, but we were always in harmony with the land. All elves had some affiliation with the land to which we were born, but none to the extent of my family. It was one of the things that marked us in our royal linage, through my father's side. We could not leave, except by death, and now someone was trying to force this occurrence upon me. I did not know who this someone could be, or why they desired my death. But I would have to find out soon. From this last attempt I could tell they were getting desperate, I was running out of time. If it kept on like this they would manage to kill me, human or not.

  
  


To Be Continued ^_^


	2. Part II

Natural Born Leader

A Digimon Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rating: PG-13

  
  


WARNING: This fic has become a little more violent than I had originally intended. Blood and Gore, you have been warned!

  
  


Disclaimer: (Okay, here I go) *sniffle* I DO NOT *cringe* OWN *wince* DIGIMON *sniffle* (I did it!!!) I do, however, own (or came up with) most of the stuff that doesn't have to do with Digimon. So, HANDS OFF!!!! Thank you ^_^

  
  


Notes: This fic is entirely from Davis' Point-Of-View. I'm mentioning this because it is a first person narrative, and it might be confusing if you don't know whose POV is driving. Although, it should also be noted that this is not exactly the Davis from the show. Beware major Out-Of-Character-ness. One more point: This fic is soooooo *not* cannon. Except for a few flashbacks, it's safe to say that the show happened up to the episode where Cody got his second Digi-egg. After that this fanfiction deviates sharply from the show's main plot-line. Hey! Don't blame me! *points finger accusingly at muse* It was all her fault!! ^_^

  
  


Thanks for the Reviews!

  
  


Part II:

I looked up at a sudden noise to see Izzy, one of the 'first' generation Digidestined, come through the door from the stairwell. This did not surprise me that much, I had asked Tai to invite the computer-wise youth to the meeting, his knowledge of the Digital World might be useful in solving the 'Ken problem'. But I was a little surprised to see him coming out of the stairwell. So, after he had walked the length of the hallway, and was close enough, I asked him. He mumbled something about a horrible afternoon he had recently spent trapped in an elevator *without* his computer. Well, I would guess that would keep Izzy away from elevators for quite awhile. Nothing that tried to separate the prodigy from his laptop was to be tolerated.

In turn, Izzy inquired as to why I was sitting *outside* the Kamiya's apartment. I told him that I had locked myself out, which he accepted without comment because it was a 'Davis-ey' thing to do.(Another benefit of my Davis persona) I, of course, left out the: 'someone-tried-to-kill-me-by-pushing-me-out-a-window' angle. Izzy would start asking difficult questions, and we couldn't have that, could we? Although I had come to trust all the Digidestined, Jun and I had decided not to tell them our secret, if it could be avoided. They were the first humans that we had ever cared enough for to even *consider* revealing our true selves to, but it would put them in danger. These kids were in enough of that already. So we kept quiet.

Izzy sat on the other side of the door and opened his computer, which he hadn't even bothered to turn off for the trip over, and started typing. I asked him if Tai had mentioned when he would return from soccer practice: 5pm was the answer. I looked at my watch, and swore in my native language under my breath. My watch hadn't just stopped, it was Definitely Dead. The magic I cast earlier, to save my life, must have fried it's circuits. I was suddenly glad that I had left my Digivice in my backpack.

I had to ask Izzy, who had a handy-dandy chronometer built into his computer, what the time currently was. It was approximately 4:44:25, evidently. I sighed and tried to think of something 'Davis' to say. But it seemed that acting out my human role was beyond me at the moment. I was under too much stress. The major reason for this was that I had yet to put my shields up. I knew it was a good decision, for one thing keeping up a magical shield because something *might* happen was draining. Also, if something tracked my magic, the trail would lead directly to me. That way anything sensing my magic would come to *me* instead of searching through the building, possibly killing innocent humans, in it's search for the caster of the spell. I knew it was necessary, but I didn't have to like it. I felt like a walking, well sitting, target, just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I returned my head to it's resting place atop my drawn-up knees, and listened to Izzy type on his laptop. The gentle clicking of the keys made a surprisingly comfortable background noise, lulling me into an almost meditative state. I must have dosed off for awhile as well, because I did not sense it coming. By the time it's presence registered on my not-as-alert-as-it-should-have-been brain, it was *very* close, and getting closer.

I was on my feet in an instant, snapping my shields up with a few whispered words. Now that the monster knew where I was, there was no need to keep them down. And it *was* a monster. This close I could even tell how *strong* a monster it was. This fact did nothing to help my peace of mind.

Now, which direction was it coming from? I slowly turned in a circle, stretching out my magical senses to find the monsters location. I ignored Izzy (who wanted to know: 'What the heck was going on!!') and concentrated on feeling the energy in the air around me. I closed my eyes to focus better. Where was it?.... Ah! There! I opened my eyes to find myself staring at the elevator.

I was trying to get Izzy to leave, and wondering vaguely *why* what-ever-it-was happened to be using the elevator- when the doors dinged open and out stepped.... Tai.

I blinked a few times, but did not let down my guard. I knew that Tai wasn't the threat, but I still sensed evil coming from that direction.

My gaze shifted past Tai, and locked onto the shape I could just make out behind him. It was a Dragon. Well, kinda.......

  
  


*****

There are two different types of dragons. Wild dragons, and made dragons. The first kind have always been around. They lived deep within the forests, jungles, (any place with lots of trees, really) and they generally stay out of everyone's way. They were very big, had teeth and claws just perfect for rending, and they slept a lot. Despite their above-the-average-beast intellect, that was basically all they did. I guess they needed the rest, I've heard sleeping all the time can really take a lot out of you.

The second kind, the made dragons, were... well, made. Don't ask me how, and don't ask anyone else either, we don't know. The knowledge of how to make them had, thankfully, died with the Evil Wizard who thought them up. Good riddance, I say. But unfortunately, when he died, the wizard left hundreds of his little creations behind to plague the rest of us.

Lucky us.

Made dragons are not very intelligent. But their small brains are filled to capacity with knowledge of how to seek out and destroy the enemy. As per their programing, the 'enemy' was any other magic using creature, besides their master. They neutralized their targets by consuming their magic. A wizard's magic is closely tied to their life-force, so the dragons had to kill their victim while being close enough to touch and absorb their aura at the point of death. I understand that it's not a pleasant way to go.

Physically made dragons are small... well *smaller* than the wild ones anyway. If you wanted a comparison you could say that made dragons are about the size of a small horse, or one of those really big dogs. They had claws. Each one about 5 inches long, six on each front hand/foot, and six on each hind foot. Which is a total of 24 sharp pointy things, and that's not even counting the teeth!

Then there was the magic. A side effect of stealing magic and not having the long dead wizard that created them to drain it again. They couldn't cast spells of their own, but the magic they stole formed a sort of super-aura around them. Because their physiology was based on the wild dragons' they *could* breath fire. So, most commonly, this super-aura would take the form of white-hot fire, surrounding them like a second skin. This fire-aura, made from stolen magic and tied directly into the creatures' unconscious, only burned what the made dragon willed it to. It could be standing on a pile of kindling and not cause a spark. All the while toasting an independent marshmallow on one claw.

A made dragon whose super-aura took the form of fire, was called a Salamander. And that's what was standing behind Tai........

  
  


*****

I called to Tai, telling him to duck as I started running toward him down the hall, which suddenly seemed to be twice the size. But I knew it was too late, I could not get there in time, for the salamander was already moving. I watched in slow motion as the creature lunged for Tai's unprotected back.

Now, this is a good example of how my reputation as an idiot can, at times, be a great hindrance. Tai did not duck, as he would have if pretty much anyone else had told him to. No, instead he looked over his shoulder. He was just in time to see the salamanders claws slicing trough the air. There was a sickening puncture sound as the claws penetrated Tai's back, going through flesh and bone with equal ease, to emerge high on Tai's right side, just below his collar bone.

Tai made a shocked gagging sound, which was echoed by Izzy (I had almost forgotten about him) behind me. The list of unpleasant sounds was added to as the salamander pulled it's claws up over it's head-- without bothering to draw them out of Tai first. I cringed, watching an ugly gapping wound appear from the salamanders razor-sharp claws, one of which snagged on a piece of the now shattered collar bone, ripping it out of the skin. Tai's eyes rolled back in their sockets as he fainted, falling to the ground.

Well, at least now he was out of the way. I wasted no time, as the salamander looked to be deciding the best way to finish Tai off, but quickly chanted a spell. The spell I threw did not do much damage, just shocked it a little really, but it did what I wanted it to, distracted the salamander from Tai, and fixed it's attention on ME. Where it should be, I was the reason that it was here, it was my fault that Tai had gotten hurt... No, I shook off that thought, I couldn't think about Tai now, I could worry about him later. Now I had a salamander to kill.

My enemy jumped over Tai's unconscious form to face me as I finally made it to the elevators. We froze about six feet away from each other, each sizing the other one up. I saw the salamander sneer through it's blazing aura, and knew what it was thinking, that I would be an easy opponent to destroy. Many an enemy has thought this to their folly; I may not look like much, but I always got the job done.

I, on the other hand, was suffering no delusions about the strength of the creature I was facing. Many brave elves had died trying to bring such monsters down, there was no question in my mind that made dragons were highly lethal. I had to do this fast, while it still underestimated me.

It was a good thing I had experience with this sort of thing.

Back when I began to learn magic, it was discovered that my greatest talent lay in battle magic. This had greatly dismayed me, I have always hated violence. I have since learned to be grateful for my expertise in this area, it has saved my sister and I countless times. But it still depresses me. To have such a talent for destruction- and ample reasons to use it.

I called upon fire. Fire magic has always been deep in the blood of my family, but none of my ancestors had ever used it like this. Fire, although it can bring great disaster, had always meant life and warmth to us. It was one of my most effective weapons, I used it to defend; I used it to destroy; I used it to kill.

Now you might be asking yourself how fire can help against a creature protected by the same element. Well, let's see...

I held my right hand out to my side, palm facing upward. A little concentration and a lance made of fire appeared there. I grasped it about half-way down it's three foot length, and drew it back over my shoulder ready to throw. The flames that comprised it, which would burn anyone else, crackled softly against my palm, like an old friend. I had nothing to fear from fire, I never had. The salamander hadn't either, until now. I would make this creature fear the fire of it's origins, before it died.

  
  


To Be Continued ^_^

  
  


End Notes: No, I do not hate Tai, he's one of my favorite characters. So, don't yell at me yet. All will be revealed in time :) *mysterious smile*


	3. Part III

Natural Born Leader

A Digimon Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rating: PG-13

  
  


Note on Rating: This fic has become a little more violent than I had originally intended. So, I decided to up the rating, just to be safe.

  
  


Disclaimer: (Okay, here I go) *sniffle* I DO NOT *cringe* OWN *wince* DIGIMON *sniffle* (I did it!!!) I do, however, own (or came up with) most of the stuff that doesn't have to do with Digimon. So, HANDS OFF!!!! Thank you ^_^

  
  


Part III:

The salamander looked at the fire-lance in patent disbelief. This puny human was going to try and hurt it with it's own *element*. I could almost see it attempting not to laugh, but this reaction did not worry me. Was kind of expected, in fact. My glamor was one of the strongest of it's kind, and would hold my disguise even against another elf. My magic signature was harder to hide, but I did not think the salamander could tell the difference between human magic and elf magic. Magic, was magic, was magic to the creature. It didn't care what kind it was, it just wanted the power.

Besides this fire wasn't ordinary, it wasn't even magic-fire ordinary. It was a unique fire from my very soul, and I could do some very interesting things with it. I could see the fire-lance out of the corner of my eye, it's orange/red glow crackling with energy. Another moment of concentration on my part and the crackling stopped, the color shifted to white/blue, and the temperature dropped below zero. Quite a ways below zero. But this burning cold did not effect me any more than the burning heat had, it was still my fire, if in a different form.

I could tell that the salamander was getting a little worried now, maybe deciding whether or not to run. Cold things, I knew, scared made dragons, same as regular dragons, and I'd bet by now everyone in that hallway (except for Tai, who was still unconscious) could feel the cold rolling off the fire-lance in waves. I did not give the salamander time, however, to escape. As I launched the fire-lance with a magically-enhanced speed too fast for the eye to follow.

It gave me a grim satisfaction to see my fire-lance skewer the salamander just a foot or so from the area where Tai was injured. Fitting. Once the lance had come to a stop, with a screeching noise, with half it's length out behind the made dragon, and half still in front; I released the mental command that was holding my soul-fire in it's shape. The lance instantly disintegrated into rolling waves of flame, which started to burn the salamander from the inside out- Still with the same cold-burning heat, that easily overcame the dragon's fire-aura.

After that, it didn't take long. And I was moving again before the creature's ashes had a chance to settle to the floor. Now that the threat was gone, I could help Tai.

With only a moment of shocked hesitation, Izzy followed me.

"Davis," he demanded, "What *was* that thing? What is going on?"

"Not now," I waved him off, "We need to see to Tai." I knelt beside the form that was face first on the hallway carpet, his legs still trailing into the open elevator behind him. I tried to decide what to do. Surprisingly, I had never really been around a seriously injured human before. They really aren't that different from elves, I guess; But, even then, I was usually more concerned about how to *kill* them, and not how to put them back together.

It occurred to me, rather inappropriately, that many of the things I'd learned in the last 30 years or so, could only be used to destroy.

Depressing.

I resolved to learn human first-aid at my next available opportunity. Which, of course, did not really help me now, with Tai bleeding all over the floor.

Luckily my sister is skilled in both human first-aid (she had thought it a useful thing to know, I hate it when she's right) and injuries inflicted by magical creatures. So she could help him.

There was, of course, a little problem in that she was not here right now; But I could only handle one thing at a time. I carefully turned Tai over, glad to see he was still alive; Part of me had been afraid he wouldn't be... There was so much blood...

"How much blood can a human loose?" I asked Izzy, because I had no idea, "Before it's fatal, I mean?"

Izzy looked at Tai over my shoulder, and gulped, "Ummm, six units? I think."

Well, I was pretty sure a 'unit' was about a pint. I tried to estimate the amount of blood on the floor... How many pints were in a quart again?

Anyway, there was a lot of the red stuff on the floor, I greatly suspected that the salamander had at least nicked an artery.

"Should we put pressure on it?" Izzy demanded, frantically, "Or call someone?"

"He'd be dead before they got here..." I concluded.

Izzy didn't seem to hear me, he grabbed Tai's keys (which had dropped from his hand when he fell) and went to open the Kamiya's door- I assumed to call 911.

"Izzy, wait..."

He still wasn't listening. I gently picked up Tai (it must have looked strange, I'm half his size) and carried him after Izzy. I managed to get Tai on the couch in the livingroom (hopefully without jarring him to much) and walk over to Izzy before he finished dialing, "Did you think I was kidding?" I grabbed the phone away from him, smudging some blood on the 'off' button as I hung-up, "They can't help him now."

I didn't mention that 'they' probably couldn't help him anyway, even if he wasn't bleeding to death. Wounds from magical creatures were different.

"But, Davis! He's dying--"

"I'm fully aware of that." I told him, putting the cordless phone on the coffee table on my way back to the couch. I swallowed to keep from vomiting when I saw the wound up close for the first time. I'd certainly seen various nasty wounds before, but it had been a long time since someone I knew, a friend, had been this badly hurt in my presence. It brought back the memories of my final night in the Elven Kingdom; Of my parents' bodies lying in rivers of blood...

I quickly shook off my morbid thoughts, I needed to focus here, Tai was dying.

"Davis--"

"Quiet," I cut him off again, "We only have one shot at this. My sister can help him, but he won't even last until she gets here unless I do something now."

"How can *your* sister help him!?!"

"Quiet," I reminded him, "I'm thinking."

"But--"

"You saw what happened in the hall, right?"

Izzy blinked, and nodded.

"I can handle this," ~At least, I think I can~, "Let me think"

Izzy reluctantly subsided, although he eyed the phone, longingly.

I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly to center myself, and thought very quickly. My first idea was to freeze Tai, or maybe the time around him. But I didn't think I could hold a spell like that very long, and I didn't know what side-effects it would have on a human's physiology; I thought about cauterizing the wound to stop the bleeding. But wounds, from magical creatures, released the magical equivalent of toxins into the bloodstream. These toxins had to be removed from the entrance site, or the victim would be dead within 24 hours; Then I remembered what Izzy had said about putting pressure on the wound (I assumed to stop the bleeding). And, while that would not stop bleeding from an artery, it made me think of how they use clamps to block veins during surgery; And, while I couldn't do that, I was fairly sure I could put a magic patch on the damaged part of the artery... I would have to be able to see it first, though.

All right then, we had a plan.

I sat on the coffee table within easy reach of Tai, and reached under the cuff of my long-sleeved shirt to remove the small knife I had in a sheath on the inside of my left fore-arm. Then I got Izzy, who had been quite shocked to discover I was carrying concealed weaponry, to help me cut Tai's shirt away from his shoulder and side. After that I had to remove some bone fragments and blot away blood with paper towels, before I could see the damaged veins (I tried to ignore the mangled muscles and tendons). I had been right about the artery; it was only nicked, and the other veins involved weren't big enough to cause much of a problem on their own. This was good because it would take much more concentration for me to put a patch on more than one capillary at a time.

Soon, said patch was in place over the worst of the bleeding, and I heaved a sigh of relief. Next on the list; I picked up the phone again and dialed one-handed before putting it to my ear. I listened to it ring, and waited for Jun to pick-up.

I counted ten rings, then eleven... Why wasn't Jun answering the phone? I thought about hanging up and trying her cell phone, but I knew she was home. At least, I was pretty sure she was. I hoped she wasn't out chasing Matt again; A situation which greatly confused and concerned me. My sister and I have both made adjustments to our appearance and personality to 'blend in' to the teenage crowd, but I sometimes thought that Jun blended in a little too well. Take this whole Matt crush thing, for instance: Even I, who have known her all her life, could not tell if Jun's feelings for the young man were genuine or contrived.

"Hello, is this Matt?" my sister had finally answered the phone.

I smacked one hand to my forehead in disbelief at her salutation, and corrected her, "No, it's your brother."

"Oh, well get off the line! I'm waiting for Matt to call."

"Jun," I told her, keeping my voice serious, and trying not to be annoyed, "I need you to come over to the Kamiya's apartment right away."

"You 'need me to'? Excuse me?" Jun returned in perfect aggravated-older-sister tones, "Why should I take orders from you--"

"Junita!!" I yelled, "This is an emergency! Someone was hurt by a salamander, and they need your help. You *will* get supplies together and use the Rings to get here Right Now! Understand?"

Stunned silence. It had been at least a decade since I'd addressed her by her full name. "Yes, brother." If I hadn't known better I would describe her voice as meek.

It was only after I hung up the phone and met Izzy's startled gaze, that I realized the tone of voice I had been using myself. In my frustration with my sister, my voice had gone straight from; Davis-the-slightly-dumb-11-year-old; to Davainer-last-heir-to-the-Royale-House-of-the-Fey... Whoops!

  
  


To Be Continued ^_^


	4. Part IV

Natural Born Leader

A Digimon Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rating: PG-13

  
  


Disclaimer: (Okay, here I go) *sniffle* I DO NOT *cringe* OWN *wince* DIGIMON *sniffle* (I did it!!!) I do, however, own (or came up with) most of the stuff that doesn't have to do with Digimon. So, HANDS OFF!!!! Thank you ^_^

  
  


Thanks for the Reviews!!

  
  


Part IV:

I briefly wondered what Izzy must be thinking about all this, but did not dwell on it for long. I'd probably have to tell Izzy most of it, anyway, before this was over. He could just stay startled for now.

My eyes moved from Izzy back to Tai. He looked so small and pale lying there; Sharply reminding me of that little kid I'd found crying on a park bench all those years ago... I'd clearly seen that he kept the promise he'd made that day; Kari was a safe and happy little girl. I was proud of him, he'd kept *all* those kids safe in the Digital World, and they'd won. They'd won, and had every reason to think they would be safe here in the real world, and now this... This had all been my fault, well me and whoever had pushed me out of the window. I sighed and took off my goggles (the same pair I'd given to him), placing them on a stack of magazines I was sharing the coffee table with.

I could feel Izzy, still watching me, as I fished under the neck of my shirt and pulled out the golden chain from which my signet ring hung when I could not wear it, so I could keep it close to me. I slipped the chain up and over my head, letting the links, which were unbroken by a clasp, pool in one hand, the fire-opal ring resting on top of the shimmering pile.

The linked golden strand wasn't really a chain- Or, wasn't *only* a chain. I placed my right hand over the one containing the jewelry, then I closed my eyes and said a few words under my breath. I felt a warm glow between my fingers and, when I lifted my hand again, there were two rings resting in my left palm; The signet ring and a, smaller, twisted gold band. The later, a dormant form of the chain, I placed on my right pinky finger, ready for when it would be needed again.

The signet ring went onto the index finger of my left hand. I sat back and waited for the tingle from the fire-opal that would mean Jun was using her own ring to get here. But, what I felt next didn't come from the ring, it came from Demiveemon who was tugging on the left leg of my shorts, trying to get my attention.

"Davish?" the little digimon asked.

I looked down into his wide maple-brown eyes, "Ya?"

"What happened to Tai?"

I sighed and leant down, lifting the small blue form into my lap, "He was attacked."

"Oh," -Blink- "Was it a digimon?"

"No." I smiled at him, softly, "If it had been, I'd have asked you for help. You're way better than me at taking care of Evil Digimon."

"Right," Demiveemon returned my smile with a little nod. His smile faded as he examined Tai again, before looking back up at me, "What happened, then?"

"I would like to know, as well." added Izzy.

I sighed again, but was saved from answering when the ring on my finger gave a twinge, like a pin prick. This was my five second warning, "I'll explain later," I promised as I quickly passed Demiveemon to Izzy, and turned to jump over the coffee table.

"What are you doing?" Izzy fumbled and almost dropped my digimon before getting a better grip on him.

"Jun needs some room," I explained, standing in the middle of the livingroom and holding out the hand with the ring on it, "It wouldn't do for her to appear in the couch, now would it?"

Jun's hand, with its own fire-opal ring, soon appeared in mine, and the rest of her followed with a shimmer and a small 'pop'. She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt (with 'I love Matt' painted on it) and holding a 'Hello Kitty' backpack in her other hand.

I released her hand and raised my eyebrows at the bag.

"What?" she demanded, "It was just the right size for a first-aid kit! Besides," and now she smirked a little, "I found it in your room."

Oh... That was different then. I decided to change the subject, "Thanks for coming so promptly." I told her.

She blinked, "I had a choice?"

"No, not really" I still outranked her, after all.

"I didn't think so. Now, did you say someone was attacked by a salamander?"

I nodded, and gestured over to the couch, "Tai."

She walked over to take my former place on the coffee table, looking closely at Tai's shoulder. She winced, "Where and when did this happen?"

"Out in the hall, a few minutes ago," it was Izzy who answered. Jun flicked her eyes in his direction, no doubt taking in his wide eyes and shocked expression, and turned back to me;

"Davis, *what* is going on? Why would a salamander attack someone in an apartment hallway?"

"Ummm... Well, I kinda had to use unshielded magic..."

"What! Why? You know how stupid that is!"

"Hey, it wasn't my fault! Someone pushed me out of the window," I pointed to the, still open, portal on the west wall.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Nice of her to be so concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine. But I did use magic, and the made-dragon--"

"-- traced it." she finished.

"Yes, and Tai was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

And he didn't duck when I told him to.

She sighed and turned back to Tai, "He's lost a lot of blood," she observed.

No kidding.

"Where is it?"

Now, why would she... Oh, right, "In the hall. I'll show you."

  
  


*****

Jun has always been very creative, magically I mean. I've hardly ever seen her cast a spell exactly as she'd been taught it; she always has to change it, just a little, so that it 'worked better'. And they always are better... Except for that one time when... Um, never mind. The point is, she's kind of a genius that way. I've even seen her make up spells completely on the fly; and those work too, usually better than other, similar spells, invented by other people.

She used to drive our magic teachers crazy, we never had the same one for more than a few months, they quit so fast. Finally our parents had just paid for my magic lessons, and set Jun loose in the magic section of the palace library, to fend for herself. Jun hadn't minded in the slightest, after that she spent most of her time in the library, and a small atrium she dubbed her 'workroom'.

In later years, after we'd left the elves, she had more cause to invent spells, but she didn't enjoy it as much... Not after what happened to mother. Despite the fact that the King and Queen left us to our own devices during the day, they insisted that we have dinner as a family whenever possible, which was most of the time. It wasn't a secret, everyone knew, and someone decided that it was the perfect time to attack. What they hadn't realized was that their plans fell on the one day of the year my parents ate dinner alone, their anniversary.

They'd died, been killed, on their 154th wedding anniversary.

Jun had been in the library when it happened, I'd been at fencing practice. But, when the fighting began, we both ran for the royal family's private dinning hall. We saw mother first. She was right inside the door, she'd almost made it to the display of swords on the wall before someone cut her throat.

She was still alive, barely, and Jun didn't even pause on her dash through the door. In seconds she had pulled the fire-opal ring from our mother's hand and touched it to the pool of blood surrounding her. Jun said a few words in the language of magic, and even some words in a language I'd never heard before, and the blood started to disappear. It took me a moment to realize it was being absorbed into the ring, turning it from a faint orange/red, to a burning magenta.

When the ring had sucked-up most of the blood, Jun had held it over the wound and reversed the flow, putting it back in the Queen's veins, where it belonged. Mother seemed a little better then, she even opened her eyes and blinked at us;

"Junita... Davainer..." her voice was a pale, raspy, reflection of her usual warm tones, I almost started to cry when I realized the difference was because her vocal cords had been damaged.

"It will be okay, Mother," Jun told her, now saying healing spells over the, still bleeding, flesh of her throat.

"No..," she gasped and the blood Jun had just put back, began spilling on the floor again, "No, Junita..."

"What do you mean? Of course it will!" Jun was crying, "I can heal this, no problem!"

"I.. Know that.. But... poison"

I couldn't hold back the tears anymore, and Jun was openly sobbing.

"No.. No, I can fix it! You'll be okay..."

"...dying..."

"No!"

"She's right, Junita," We looked up as our father stumbled around the far side of the table. I hurried over to help him, noticing that he was injured also, although not enough to merit his obvious weakness.

"We've both been poisoned, it was in the food" he continued when we got over to the Queen and Jun. He eased himself down beside his wife and took one of her hands, gently, in his own.

"Poisoned? With what? I can still cure you!"

"No, not this time, Junita. It's elfshot-- "

"Nooo..." and Jun crumpled completely, she knew there was no way to save them now. Elves can heal, or be healed, from almost anything... But not this; Not this. Elfshot was a poison made from over twenty different plants, and a ceremony of blood magic. An elf's body will react just from the evil energy it contained, wakening enough for the poison itself to take effect. The usual method to distribute it to the victim, is by the coated blade of a weapon or dart (hence the name); Sometimes such a wound can be cured, depending on the amount and strength of the elfshot... But Father had said it was in the food, they'd ingested it, we couldn't help them now.

And the blood Jun had just put back in our Mother's body was tainted as well; She might not bleed to death, but she would die all the same. This also explained why Jun couldn't heal her wound, this elfshot was very powerful, and one of the ingredients prevented healing spells.

"You two need to leave now." our father said.

"No, we can't" Jun recovered a little, wiping some of the tears from her face, "We can't leave you."

"You have to, Junita. The rebels are coming back, they left us for dead and went to find you, but they'll be back."

"No..."

The king let go of mother's hand long enough to remove his signet ring and pass it to me, "You will be King now, Davainer," he told me, "Come back and save the kingdom some day," he gave me a painful smile, "I'm sure you won't want to, but our people need a good ruler. And, I doubt the leader of this, surprisingly successful, debacle would be a good ruler."

"But, Father..."

Why was he excepting defeat so easily?

"What's the point in fighting now?" he asked me, as if he'd read my mind, "There is nothing I can do. And.." he bent, releasing one hand from the Queen's slackened grip, to close her sightless eyes, "... what would the world be without her?"

He gave me a final look, conveying his love and trust in Jun and I; Telling me to get Jun out of here, and keep her safe. So, I got Jun to her feet (she was sobbing so hard she hardly noticed anything anymore) and we left our Father to die in the place he'd most wanted to live... Next to his wife.

  
  


*****

The rest of our escape from the palace was a blur. We'd hurried through the family apartments and kitchen, picking up what we could, and out one of the underground passages. There were enemies everywhere, and it was lucky that Jun recovered enough to help me fight our way out; after she placed Mother's fire-opal, which had still been clutched in her hand, on her finger... She'd never taken it off again, to my knowledge.

We'd never talked much about that day, but she'd used that blood spell to save my life once or twice. Hopefully she could do the same for Tai.

  
  


To Be Continued ^_^


	5. Part V

Natural Born Leader

A Digimon Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rating: PG-13

  
  


Disclaimer: (Okay, here I go) *sniffle* I DO NOT *cringe* OWN *wince* DIGIMON *sniffle* (I did it!!!) I do, however, own (or came up with) most of the stuff that doesn't have to do with Digimon. So, HANDS OFF!!!! Thank you ^_^

  
  


Thanks for the Reviews! :)

  
  


Part V:

"How, *exactly* is that kid still alive?"

We were now out in the hallway, standing over the blood Tai had left there; And Jun's question was a valid one. The carpet had an area of roughly a square yard, completely soaked a deep red, and blood was dripping between the elevator casing and the ruined car.

"I have no idea," I answered her, "Tai's a strong person though, I told you about the time when-- "

"Yes. Yes, I know... Could you just hold off on the Digital World stories for now?"

I didn't brag about these kids *that* much, did I?... Okay, maybe I did- But they deserved it!

"Right," Jun went on, now almost ignoring me, "I need something personal of Tai's..."

That's why she'd used mother's opal ring that night; The spell called for something that had been close to the persons aura for awhile. Like calls to Like.

"Lets' see..." he didn't wear any jewelry, didn't have a watch, was too attached to his hair... "What about his digivice?"

"I don't know," Jun thought about it, "The blood would probably destroy it."

Well, that wouldn't do. We thought some more, then;

"Hey, Davis? What's that?"

I followed the direction of her gaze and saw, almost out of sight in the shadow of the elevator door, a white splinter of bone. My mind flashed back to when the salamander had torn it's claws out of Tai... "Umm," I swallowed, "That would be a piece of Tai's collar bone."

"Oh... Eww."

I nodded agreement.

"But... That would work, for the spell I mean."

She was right. I looked over at the small piece of bone, sitting like a tiny island in a vast sea of red. She was right, it would work; That small piece had been close (read: within) Tai's aura for a *long* time. The problem now was; how did we get it?

"Okay, go get it," Jun had obviously come to the same conclusion as I.

"Me?" I demanded, "Why me?" Neither of us liked blood much, how could we after what happened to our parents? Plus, even if we hadn't had a phobia about it before now, this much red stuff was enough to make anyone shudder. *I* didn't want to touch it.

"Because," she explained, her eyes leaving the gory scene as she turned to look at me, "You already have it on you, no reason for both of us to get messy."

I looked down at my clothes to see what she meant, and swallowed back my nausea at what I saw. I remembered picking Tai up to carry him inside, but I had not given thought to what it had done to my clothes; There were giant splotches of blood all over me; on my arms (more on my left sleeve since that's the one I'd used to support Tai's shoulders); the front of my shirt; the left side of my shorts; and drying patches on my knees and lower legs where I knelt beside the injured boy.

My first thought was for Tai; he'd lost so much blood. I was worried about him.

My second thought was: ~Ewww~ accompanied by a shiver because blood was *touching* me.

And third: ~Jun's right Again, dammit!~

"Hurry," she continued, when she was sure I had the point, "Tai's time is running out."

I sighed, and bent to take off my socks, only to change my mind once I'd seen the soles. I was just surprised I hadn't tracked blood all over. *Double Sigh* I carefully walked across the crimson carpet, valiantly ignoring the way it soaked, the rest of the way, through my socks. I picked up the bone splinter (it was about an inch long and less than a quarter of an inch wide), I held it gingerly so it wouldn't slip... Then I made haste back to where Jun was standing, stopping at the edge of the blood stain to hand Jun the splinter and take off my socks before stepping onto (blessedly) clean and dry carpet.

I stood, balling my socks up so the blood was on the inside, as I watched Jun cast her spell. It had gone through some changes since she first cast it; Like, it now filtered the blood as the item collected it. I looked down at the carpet, and was very grateful for that part. Because, while it seemed clean enough, it was a carpet in an apartment *hallway*, and hardly sanitary.

The spell was faster too. About 30 seconds later, all the blood was gone from the carpet, and the elevator. And the bone fragment had turned almost black with all the blood packed inside it.

"This should do it," Jun commented as she turned to walk back. After a few steps, when she noticed I wasn't following, she said over her shoulder; "Aren't you coming?"

"In a minute," I answered her, "I need to do something about the elevator before people start coming home."

She looked past me at the elevator, which looked like it had suffered from a bomb, or something; and nodded to me, "Okay, but hurry. I'm going to need you to remove your patch on Tai's artery." she paused, "That was good thinking, by the way." then she turned again and hurried into the Kamiya's apartment.

I paused for one incredulous second, to ponder that my little sister had actually complemented me, then I shook it off... I had work to do.

I stepped closer to the elevator, stopping at the doorway and glancing upward. In the roof of the car, in a place ironically close to the escape hatch, the salamander had ripped through the steel like it was aluminum foil; the jagged edges pointing up where the metal had been pulled back. The made-dragon must have done this before Tai entered the elevator, and just waited for the car to stop on the floor it wanted, then dropped behind Tai.

It's been said before, but it's true; People never look up... Especially when they need to.

And, they never duck when they should.

"Davish?" I looked down to see my digimon.

"Yes?"

"Jun said you needed to finish something out here. Can I help?"

"Sure," I smiled down at him, "You wanna hold my socks?"

  
  


*****

Because of some, highly inaccurate, myths about my kind, human's are under the impression that we are allergic to certain types of metal, like iron. This is, of course, not true; Which is lucky considering the city Jun and I live in.

In any case, this was a good thing now, as the cable supporting the elevator car was made of steel, and I had to touch it to break it.

I'd used the escape hatch to get to my current position, on top of the elevator. Jun and I had used a lot of magic in one area today, but most of it had been shielded, so I figured it was okay to use it to open the hatch. There was no way I'd have gotten it open otherwise; I am short (they should really consider a re-design).

While chanting a simple fire-cracker spell, I flicked one finger at the hatch and blew it open. Then I vaulted at the wall, used a kick to ricochet about halfway up the length of cold metal, and turned in mid-air to catch the edge of the open hatch.

As I pulled myself up onto the roof of the elevator I reflected that it was a good thing I was barefoot, I wouldn't want to try that in my socks.

A short time later, I bit my bottom lip as I considered the steel cable in front of me. The best way to hide the condition the elevator was in, that I could think of, was to cut the cable and let the car drop. The resulting mess would conceal the fact that some of the damage had been enacted pre-drop.

Or, I hoped it would.

Thing was, I couldn't just cut the cable. That would make it look deliberate; Which, nowadays, would make people think 'terrorist'; Which would just scare everyone; And was one of the reasons I was doing this in the first place.

The danger was past, I didn't want anyone afraid. This, I knew, was also what Jun had thought when looking at the damage the salamander had left. I smiled, my sister and I spent a lot of time protecting people... I think we got it from our Dad.

Anyway, I had to make the elevator cable look like it broke naturally. Which would confuse people (the cable seemed fairly new) but was better than the alternative.

I looked around, in the dim light, noting the elevator cable, the system of weights and pulleys the made the car go up-and-down, and the maintenance ladder built next to the smaller shaft that held the counter weights.

I could do a small time spell to accelerate the corrosion on a section of the cable (this would be the part that requires me to touch it), then try to get over to the ladder before the car fell.

Piece of cake.

Hopefully, not a piece of squished cake at the bottom of the elevator shaft.

Or, maybe the cake would be mangled up it the broken elevator car...

And maybe I was stalling.

Sighing I shook out both my arms and placed a hand on either side of the steel cable, about shoulder height. I closed my eyes for a moment, bringing the spell from my memory. I hadn't used this one for awhile, mainly because it wasn't very useful. It only sped time up in the area between the caster's hands, and aged whatever was there a couple hundred years in as many seconds. I opened my eyes again, took a deep breath, and let it out again, slowly.

Here I go.

I quickly said the words, and channeled the magic down my arms, where it gathered between my hands with a soft glow, the color of rust.

Appropriate.

I held the spell until I could hear the metal groaning. At which time I quickly released the cable, turned around and lunged for the ladder... And missed.

Fortunately I was able to grab the rung below the one I had been aiming for. I looked down the shaft in time to see the elevator car crash six stories below.

And I thought, for the second time that day, that I was very good at destroying things. If the object I was destroying was inanimate, it was even kinda fun...

"Davis?"

I glanced to my right and saw Izzy's head looking around the bent (and thus unable to close) elevator door.

"Ya?"

"What did you do? What was that sound?"

"Well," I answered him, smirking, "We don't have to worry about the elevator anymore." I gestured down the shaft.

Izzy looked down, then backed-up a few steps, his head moving from my line of vision. A minute or so later, it was back.

"Why..." Izzy swallowed and tried again, "Why did you do that?"

"Because," I sighed, "the last thing we need is people asking why the roof of the elevator car had been torn off."

"Oh..."

"Ya; 'Oh'" I agreed.

"Davish?" Now Demiveemon's head joined Izzy's, although a little lower, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. But, could you guys move? I'd like to get out of here."

"Sure, Davish."

My digimon backed up, tugging Izzy with him. I climbed down a few rungs and used the one that was adjacent to the small ledge at the bottom of the elevator portal, to slide over, before I pulled myself back into the hallway.

Time to go see how Jun was doing.

  
  


To Be Continued ^_^

  
  


Author's Notes: Okay, some people (my beta readers) have expressed concern that Tai is still 'in peril'. All I can say is; "Be Patient!!" I'm getting there. I promise ^_~ I'll have Jun fix him in the next chapter, alright?


	6. Part VI

Natural Born Leader

A Digimon Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rating: PG-13

  
  


Disclaimer: (Okay, here I go) *sniffle* I DO NOT *cringe* OWN *wince* DIGIMON *sniffle* (I did it!!!) I do, however, own (or came up with) most of the stuff that doesn't have to do with Digimon. So, HANDS OFF!!!! Thank you ^_^

  
  


Thanks for the Reviews! :)

  
  


Part VI:

Most healing spells work on the same basic principle; Nature heals best, let's just speed it up a little. So, the spells couldn't make you 'magically' better, but they could accelerate the body's own healing process. For example, a cut could be healed in a few moments, to a point it would have reached in a few weeks.

These kinds of spells, I knew, would not work with Tai's situation. For one thing, there was the severe blood loss, even when Jun got the blood back where it belonged, Tai could still sustain damage from being a few quarts low for even a few seconds. Then there was his shoulder; Even with the magical equivalent of years to heal, he might never be able to use his arm again.

This was not acceptable.

Tai was one of my 'kids', part of the group that I looked after; And this was not acceptable. There had to be another way. I did know of two spells that would heal a person completely; One was almost as dangerous to the caster as the castee, it consisted of transferring energy and matter from one to the other. In return the spell caster took on some of the injury and/or sickness from the patient.

I didn't want to risk Jun or Tai that way.

The only other complete healing spell in existence was another of Jun's invention, but it took weeks to set up. I knew she had some of them ready to use for an elf (I'd helped her make them), but not a human.

Why had neither of us thought of making a Healing-Matrix for a human? I went ahead and blamed myself for this oversight, since I was the one who had human friends throwing themselves into mortal peril every Saturday, and on weekdays after school.

A Healing-Matrix was kinda like both types of healing spells put together; it sped up the body's natural healing and, since the caster can transfer a little magic everyday while constructing the Matrix (instead of all at once), it could provide the needed energy without danger to the caster. It didn't transfer matter, which excluded the side effect of injury transference, and eliminated the danger to the patient if the caster became too drained to finish the spell.

The major problem with Healing-Matrixes, besides all the time needed to prepare them, was that they needed to be species and gender specific; Since the Matrix contained a perfect example of the healthy ideal, and would heal the subject to fit the image.

I wondered what would happen if we used an elf Matrix on Tai. Would he turn into an elf? Would he be a half elf? A Helf? Or would his shoulder be elven, and the rest human? If so, what about his arm?

I shook off my, slightly silly, thoughts. They were all idle anyway, I knew what would happen if we used an elf Matrix on a human... They would die, and it would probably be painful.

So, we have a 'No' on that option.

As Izzy, Demiveemon, and I, walked back into the apartment, I was considering whether or not more than one person could cast a complete healing spell. If Jun and I cast it together, would that keep us from dying in the attempt? Would it even work?

With the way my luck was going today?... No.

Izzy shut the door behind us, and we walked into the central room of the Kamiya's apartment. Jun had moved the coffee table out to give herself more room, and was on her knees next to the couch, leaning over her patient.

"How did the well-intentioned vandalism go?" she asked me, without turning from Tai.

"Fine," I answered, "The main cable rusted through, and now the elevator car has taken up residence at the bottom of the shaft... You?"

"As well as can be expected," she sighed, sitting back on her heels, "I've got most of the blood back in, but his system's taken a lot of damage."

"Permanent?"

"As it is, probably."

"So.." I didn't want to hear the answer to this. I knew what it would be, "Regular healing spells won't work here, will they?"

"Nope."

"What do we do then?"

I expected her to say 'Nothing' or something equally depressing, but she didn't. Instead she picked up the open 'Hello Kitty' backpack and started rummaging through it, "Davis?," she asked, I saw her push aside bandages and suture kits to reach for something at the bottom of the bag, "Have you ever witnessed me *knowingly* walking into such a situation without being *completely* prepared?"

"Um, no?"

But, how could she be prepared for something like this?

Jun's hand appeared back from the bag with two objects cradled in her palm. They were crystals, each the size of a large walnut, one rose-pink and the other aqua-blue...

My eyes widened "Are those...?"

"Human Healing-Matrixes?" Jun inquired, with a smirk, "Yes, they are."

"Jun?" I grinned, "You're the best."

"I know."

"When did you make those?"

"I started them about a week after the whole Digimon thing began."

Is Junita cool, or what?

"I knew *you* would never think of it, even if they're *your* friends..."

Okay, rethinking the 'cool' part.

"... So I thought of it for you. No need for your friends to suffer from your intellect."

Ouch.

"Can we fix Tai now?" I pleaded, hopefully forestalling more insults.

"Sure." She put the pink stone back in the bag, and handed the blue one to Izzy, who had stopped by the couch, "Here, hold this."

Izzy blinked at the new object, but made no complaint. I saw his eyes un-focus for a moment as he gazed at the intricate designs etched within the crystal by magic. That would be the 'matrix' part of the spell, a lattice of healing magics that described what a healthy human should be like. Izzy would not be able to understand it, though it was interesting enough to look at, I suppose.

"Davis?"

I moved my own gaze from the blue crystal and back to my sister.

"I need you to take your patch off the artery now."

Her voice was steady, her eyes calm, but I had known her all her life and could tell she was worried about something, "What is it?" I had sensed that she did not want Izzy to realize something was wrong, so I asked the question quietly, in our own language.

"Nothing," she answered the same way.

I glared at her.

"Really, it's nothing.... I just..." she pushed her hair back from her face and tucked it behind her ears in what I recognized as a nervous gesture, "I have to filter the salamander toxin out of his blood, before I can heal the artery. And I don't know if I can do it... Before he bleeds to death. I don't know if I'll be fast enough to save him."

Ah. The problem explained. I thought for a few minutes before I answered her, "Junita," I used her full, elvish, name that could not be translated into a human tongue, "I have complete faith in your ability to do this. You are the best healing mage in the history of the elven race, *you* made these spells, you can do this." I held her eyes, making sure she could see my confidence in her, until she finally nodded.

"Okay," she replied, switching back to the language of the humans we lived with. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and nodded again, "Let's do it."

I was relieved to hear the renewed self-confidence in her voice. And I knew Tai would be okay.

  
  


*****

Twenty minutes later, the Healing-Matrix was gone, and most of Tai's blood was cleaned, and back where it belonged. My faith in my sister's healing abilities had been rewarded. Not that I had doubted it for a moment; Jun had a gift, a talent for healing...

Just as I had a talent for destruction.

Even before I'd known Jun had brought human Healing-Matrixes with her, and had worried about Tai's health, I had not doubted Jun's skills in the matter. And a part of me had always known she'd come through for Tai. That's why I called her, I knew she would help him, one way or another.

  
  


*****

Jun packed up the 'Hello Kitty' backpack and shot me a triumphant smile, which I returned. But I didn't have time to congratulate her, because Tai woke up.

Unfortunately the first thing he saw was his blood on my shirt. And, when he sat up in shock, he noticed that his own shirt was half cut from his body, "Davis?"

This was his 'Leader of the Digi-destined' voice, and I took one step back, in reaction to it, before I could stop myself. I scratched the back of my head, and tried to look innocent, "What?"

"Why are you all bloody? What happened in the hall? And *why* is Jun here?"

"Um... Well..."

Luckily, at that point, Jun distracted him with a myriad of her own questions (including: 'Are you in any pain?' and 'Can you feel your fingers?') then she tested the reflexes in his, previously injured, arm before she made a quick escape... Taking the luck with her.

"Davis?" Tai's eyes narrowed, dangerously, "What. Is. Going. On?"

My own gaze moved from Tai to Izzy, who wore an equally insistent expression, and I knew I was doomed.

  
  


To Be Continued ^_^


End file.
